Method of making packages of frozen material



Sept. 1936- s. N. LEOPOLD ET AL 2,053,887

METHOD OF MAKING PACKAGES OF FROZEN MATERIAL Filed NOV. 29, 1932Patented Sept. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF MAKINGPACKAGES OF FROZEN MATERIAL Application November 29, 1932, Serial No.644,810

Claims.

This. invention relates to packaging, and pertains particularly to thepackaging of frozen materials, ice cream, for example, which undergoexpansion incident to freezing.

A general object of the invention is the provision of a method forforming a package which comprises a container and its contents, thecontainer being of a character such that it may be shipped in collapsedor knocked-down form and readily set up at the point of use, and thecontents, in its frozen condition, cooperating with the container toform a securely united package in which the contents is fully protected.

Other and further objects will be indicated or pointed out hereinafter,or will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon an understanding ofthe invention or its employment in use.

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding and explanation of theinvention, we disclose in the accompanying drawing forming a part of thespecification, and hereinafter describe, certain structural embodimentsillustrative of the package and procedural steps employed in the makingof it. It is to be understood, however, that these are presented by wayof example, and are not to be construed in any fashion calculated tolimit the appended claims short of the true and most comprehensive scopeof the invention in the art.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a partly completed package on aconsiderably reduced scale;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary cross section, on an enlarged scale, of aportion of a wall of a container adapted to form a part of the package;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a completed package, on aconsiderably reduced scale; and

Fig. 4 is a'detail of same in approximately full size.

Numerous important commercial advantages are served by the use, in thepackaging of various commodities, of containers of the collapsible orknock-down type which may be shipped in a substantially flat,knocked-down form and set up at the point of use. Although not limitedto the use of containers of that character, the present invention findsparticular utility in connection with same. Due to their feature ofcollapsibility, and the desirability of having them light in weight andsufficiently inexpensive in cost to justify their being discarded afteronce used, the use of such containers involves some difficulties in thedirection of obtaining a securely united package adapted to withstandhandling in transportation. This is particularly so in the case of largepackages, for example, bulk packages of ice cream having a content oftwo and one-half or five gallons. 4

The present invention provides a package which meets the desiredrequirements and which may be formed in part by a container of thecollapsible type, without material modifications or change in theprocedure customarily followed in packing commodities of the kindscontemplated.

The nature of the invention will be most quickly ascertained from adescription of an example of the package and method of making it.

In the accompanying drawing the reference numeral l0 designates thetubular body portion of a container suitable for constituting a part ofthe package. This body member may be formed of a suitable paper boardhaving Water-proofed surfaces, and it may be of the knock-down typesusceptible of being folded fiat and set up into the tubular form at thepoint of use. A characteristic of this body member is that it isdistensible circumferentially, at least at the ends. This distensiblecharacteristic may be contributed by any of various features of itsconstruction. For example, the body member may be formed with amultiplicity of narrow creases or oflset portions ll as illustrated inFig. 2, extending longitudinally thereof, said offset portions beingsusceptible of being displaced outwardly and thus accommodatingcircumferential distension of the body member in its tubular form. Thisbody member may be formed of an integral sheet of flexible materialfolded on itself and having its ends connected. Suitable end closuresare provided for assembly with the body member same being here indicatedby the bottom disks l2 and I4 and a top disk l5, all of which may bemade of substantial paper board. constraining members It and I! areprovided for connecting the end closures to the body member. Thesepreferably are made of strong sheet metal or other strong material inthe form of relatively non-distensible annular members. The lowerconstraining member 16 has an annular portion Ilia adapted to encompasscircumferentially the lower end portion of the body member when thelatter is set up in its tubular form. Part of the portion |6a is ofappreciably greater diameter than the end portion of the body memberwhich it encompasses, but said portion Ilia extends inwardly So that atits upper margin it is approximately the diameter of the body member.The annular portion l6b of this constraining member extends inwardly sothat it overlaps the marginal portion of the bottom end closure. I

The upper constraining member I! likewise has a portion l'la adapted toencompass the upper end of the body member circumferentially, saidportion lla being of somewhat larger diameter than the upper end of thebody member. The portion Fla is provided at its lower margin with aninwardly extending flange l 11), and at its upper end with an inwardlyturned head He which overlaps the marginal portion of the disk IS. Thebody member may have at its upper end a flexible strip l8, securedthereto and projecting slightly from its outer periphery, the width ofthe flange l'lb being such as to admit of the insertion of the upper endof the body member, with the strip l8 thereon, into the constrainingmember past said flange.

A more particular and detailed description of the various features ofthe container is presented in our copending application for Set-upcontainer, Serial No. 644,809, flied concurrently herewith.

In the making'of the package, the body member being set up in tubularform and assembled with the lower constraining member and end closure asabove described, the contents, consisting of a material or mixture whichexpands upon freezing, is placed in the receptacle so provided, in anunfrozen or partly frozen fluid condition, in quantity sufficient toapproximately fill the same. The top closure is then placed on the bodymember, the upper end of the latter being inserted within theencompassing portion Ila of the upper constraining member, and the diskcoming to rest on the upper edge of the body member. When the upperconstraining member is so seated, the inwardly projecting portion Nb ofthe constraining member occupies a position at alevel lower than thelower margin of the outwardly extending retaining strip l8.

The filled and closed container is now subjected to a temperatureeffective to freeze the contents. As an incident of such freezing, thecontents expands and imparts outward pressure to the body member. Due toits distensible character, the body member accommodates this expansionof the contents, and is distended thereby, the pressure of the expandingcontents pressing the portions of the body member within the compass ofthe constraining bands I60. and I la outwardly into tight bindingcooperation therewith. This has the efiect of very securely and rigidlyconnecting the body member with the constraining members, the 'endportions of the former being distended so that they extend outwardlywithin the constraining members and beyond the inner margins of theportions I61) and Nb in an interlocked association therewith. When thecontents is frozen it forms a firm support, holding the distended bodymember in this relationship with the constraining members, and thusretaining the end closures securely assembled with the body member. Thedistension of the upper end of the body member carries its upper edgeoutwardly to a position below the spanof the inwardly overhanging beadHe, the disk l5 being of such size that it overlaps and rests upon theupper edge of the body member, where it is retained by the overhangingbead.

The package so formed is strong, tight and securely united, and does notrequire the use of fastenings, even though the several parts of thecontainer are, in the condition in which they are supplied to the user,separate and disconnected from one another.

The absence of such special fastenings or securing devices is a distinctadvantage, not only as to facilitating assembly, but also as toobtaining a tight package and avoiding contamination of the contents.For illustration, insertion of staples or similar securing devices forsecuring the closure after the contents has been placed in the containeris likely to contaminate the contents or to cause leaks; and the use ofglue or other adhesives is highly undesirable because of possibility ofcontaminating the contents.

A package formed as above described is well adapted to stand thehandling incident to transportation and dispensing. For opening thepackage, the disk i5 is broken and removed piecemeal, leaving the upperconstraining member in place on the body member, where it continues toact as a reinforcement and stay for the edge, and as a protection of thesame against fraying or wetting by virtue of the fact that theoverhanging bead I'Ic effectively covers the same.

Fig. 3 serves to illustrate the relationship of parts in the completedpackage before it is opened, it being noted that the contents is frozen,the end portions of the body member distended into close, bindingengagement with the encompassing portions of the constraining members,and the portions of the body member between the constraining membersbeing somewhat distended from its original form.

Fig. 4 illustrates the relationship of the upper constraining member,closure disk l5, and upper portion of the body member in'its distendedcondition in the completed package.

-What we claim is:

1. A method of forming a package of frozen material which comprisesproviding a packing receptacle having a circumferentially distensibletubular body, substantially fllling the receptacle with a material whichis expansible by freezing, applying to the receptacle a top closurehaving a relatively non-distensible internally recessed circularconstraining band encompassing an end portion of the tubular body,freezing the material in the closed receptacle and thereby securing theclosure on the tubular body by distension of portions of the latter intothe recessed portion of the constraining band.

2. A' method of forming a package of frozen material which comprisessubstantially fllling a receptacle having a circumferentiallydistensible tubular body portion with a material which is expansible byfreezing, applying to the receptacle an end closure having a relativelynon-distensible circular constraining band encompassing the body portioncircum'ferentially and an inwardly overhanging marginal bead spacedaxially from the edge of the body portion, freezing the material in thecontainer and thereby distending the body portion to effect tightbinding engagement of its periphery with the constraining band andposition its edge within the span of the overhanging bead.

3. A method of forming a package of frozen material which comprisesproviding a receptacle having a tubular body member of flexiblematerial, providing an annular constraining member affording an internalcircumferential channel, placing an end closure for the body memberwithin said circumferential channel, substantially filling thereceptacle with a material which is expansible by freezing, disposingthe open end of the tubular body member within the compass of theconstraining member and in association with said end closure, andfreezing the material in the receptacle and thereby securing the endclosure and constraining member to the tubular body member by distensionof portions of the latter into the circumferential channel of theconstraining member.

4. A method of forming a package of frozen material which comprisesproviding a packingreceptacle having a tubular body which iscircumferentially distensible at its upper end, substantially fillingthe receptacle with a material which is expansible by freezing, applyingto the receptacle a top closure having a relatively nondistensiblecircular constraining band encompassing and fitting said end portion ofthe tubular body, freezing the material in the closed receptacle andthereby securing the closure on the tubular body by distension ofportions of the latter into binding engagement with the constrainingband.

5. A method of forming a package of frozen material which comprisesenclosing a filling of material which is expanslble by freezing in areceptacle having a circumferentially distensible tubular body memberformed of flexible paper board and end closures for said tubular bodymember together with relatively non distensible circular constrainingbands having rigid portions covering the margins of the body member andend closures and portions encompassing the body membercircumferentially, freezing the filling of material within thereceptacle and thereby distending portions of the body member intoperipheral binding contact with the encompassing portions of theconstraining bands to secure the latter and the end closures to the bodymember.

SAMUEL N. LEOPOLD. HENRY K. POWELL.

